Liquid-fuel gas range



Dec. 27, 1927.

W. C. McKEOWN LIQUID FUEL GAS RANGE 2 Sheets- Sheet l Filed June 20,1925 W Q n L r H 1 fiumw Q U a Dec. 27, 1927. 1,653,867

W. C. M KEOWN LIQUID FUEL GAS RANGE Filed June 20, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 23 n um 1 #01 1447/1210) C. fickeown 3. SE. 53 SE: 7279/14 Patented Dec.21, 1927. V

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WTLLIAM C. MCKEOWN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOB TO MODERN HOUSE-HOLD APPLIANCE QOMPAN'Y, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A COBPORATIOH OFMARYLAND.

Application filed June 20, 1925. Serial No. 88,481.

sive pipe line installations through trans 10 this urpose, I preferablyemploy the product mown as casing head gas which is derived from naturalgas and contains the richer and more volatile constltuents there:

of. Before being available for use in my 1m.- 15 proved range, 1preferably liquefy the easing head gas so as to obtain an initialpressure of from thirty to forty pounds gage. Such a pressure isrelatively safe to handle and renders available in a concentrated forman amount of gas which becomes extremely .large by volume when expandedto a pressure slightlyv above that of the atmosphere.

While the preferred gas for my rang'e' compares favorably in heatingvalue with the gas now manufactured in the cities, it

is contemplated, by reason of the highly effective distribution systemsexisting in suchlocalities,. that my improved range will'be utilizedchiefly in the country districts. The cooking ranges now available inthese regions, aside from those using coal and wood, are fuel chiefly bykerosene, gasoline and the like, the thermal value of which is greatlyinferior to t-hatpresent in liquefied natural gas. Moreover, the formerare essential-- ly and normally liquid fuels and their transformation toa gaseous statesatisfactory for cooking is occasioned with somedifliculty.

My invention renders possible the use of natural gas under safeconditions and, therefore, without expensive pipe line systems, thesuperior advantages of gas as a cooking agent are placed at thedisposalof scattered houses and communities. Any standard gas rangemaybe readily transformed to burn the fuel in question, certainadditions thereto being required owing to the peculiar nature of thefuel, but no changes are required in the burners proper.

For the purposes of illustration, a simple four burner type of rangewithout an oven is disclosed, but it is to be understood that the numberof burners may be multiplied or not, as desired,'a'nd that the use of anoven does not affect the efficient operativeness of my device.

These and further objects will be set forth in the followingspecification, reference bemg had to the accompanying drawings, and thenovel means by which said objects are eifectuated will be definitelypointed outin the claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation of a simple four burner rangeshowing the application of my improved devices thereto. 1'

Flg. 2 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1, thecooking grids being omitted for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary, sectional elevation of the reducingand stop valve and the packed ,manifold utilized in my improved range.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of one of the burners looking in thedirection of the arrow 4 in Fig. 2 and showing the manner of mounting apreheater tube on said burner.

In the drawings g The numeral 10 represents a tank in which is containedthe liquefied natural gas, preferably under a pressure of from thirty toforty pounds gage. The natural gas is transformed into a liquid state byany suitable means, such as subjecting the gas to pressure, which formsno part of my invention and'the same-has therefore not been particularlyillustrated or described.

One end of a feed line 11-is connected to the tank 10 and said line maycontain any approved valve, such as 12 for isolating the main portionthereof from said tank. The opposite end of said lineis connected to abody portion 13 provided on a reducing and stop valve 14. Said bodyportion is provided with a passage 15 which is coaxial with the adjacentend of the line 11 and a plug 16, having aflange 17 is mounted in theupper end of said passage.

The plug 16 is also provided with a passage 18, through which extends astem 19, the lower end of which is. mounted in the assage 15 adjacentthe end. of the line 11. aid stem comprises a duct 20 which is coaxialwith'the duct in the line 11 and which is contracted near the upperportion of said stein into an orifice 21. The mouth of said orifice isdisposed above the flange 17 and within an extensible chamber 22, oneend of which is formed by a disk 23 and the lateral surface of which bythe superimposed folds 24 whose ends are secured respectively to thedisk 23 and the flange 17. Said folds are preferably made from anysuitable thin and flexible material which is impervious to hquids andgases and so that the d sk 23 may be made to approach the flange 17, orrecede therefrom, without setting up any destructive crystalline actionin the curved portions of said folds.

- The disk 23 carries a valve plug 25 which ing the same, and thereforea movement of said plug relative to the orifice 21, produced ashereinafter described, will govern the extent of flow of the liquidthrough said orifice. A passage 26 is provided in the body 13 whichconnects the passage 15 to one slde of said body, said )assage beingdisposed approximately at rig it angles to the passage 15. A nipple 27is mounted in the passage 26 and is provided with a pair of axiallyaligned ducts 28 and 29, respectively, the diameter of the'latter beinglarger than that of the former. The adjacent ends of said ducts form avalve seat 30 which is adapted for the reception of a ball 31 thatnormally rests on the bottom of the nipple 27 against a stop 32. One endof a preheater line 33 1s connected to the nipple 27 by a coupling 34.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that a fluid entering thevalve 14 through the feed line 11 will reach the line 33 through thestem 19, the chamber 22, and passages 18, 15 and 26, successively,thence through the nipple 27.

The preheater line 33 is connected at its opposite end to one end of amanifold 35 which is supported in appropriate arms 36-36 on a frame 37.Between the coupling 34 and its junction with the manifold 35. the line3 passes successively over a plurality of burners- '38, being supportedthereon by cars 3939 at a suitable distance above a pair of aligned armsof each of said burner. The burners 38 are supported in any approvedmanner by the frame 37 and are of any standard construction. Saidburners are connected to the manifold 35 by means of the usual gas cocks40.

The manifold 35 is packed tightly with an absorbent material, such asraw cotton, and,

at the end opposite its connection with the line 33 is connected to anipple 41 disposed at the upper end of the valve 14. Said nipplecomprises a flange 42 which is adapted to coact with an interiorshoulder 43 formed on a hollow nut 44, through which the nipple nut. 44,and is closed at its lower end b a disk 46 which abuts on the disk 23,the ateral surface of said chamber being composed of folds 47 which aresimilar in construction to and formed of material similar to the folds24. The upper end of the folds 47 is secured to the flange 42 and thelower end thereof to the disk 46. A coil spring 48 is disposed in thechamber between the flange 42 and the disk 46 and in order to produceany desired tension in said sprin the nut 44 is threaded upon one end oft e sleeve 49, the

opposite end of which is threaded on the body 13. It will be obviousthat the sleeve 49 encloses the extensible chambers 22 and 45, but thatthe latter are spaced therefrom for a purpose hereinafter explained, andthat the spring 48 normally maintains. the disk 46 in contact with thedisk 23 thereby serving to normally maintain the plug 25 in closingengagement with the orifice 211 The operation of my improved range is asfollows:

The tank 10 having been filled with the liquefied gas-under pressure,the nut 44 will be adjusted to permit a maximum movement of the plug 25that, dependent upon the pressure obtaining in said tank and themakinuun demands of the burners 38 for fuel, when said pressure operateson said plug, the latter will be moved a suflicient distance to permitthe passage of a quantity of fuel adequate for t e maximum demand ofsaid burners. Suitable indicia may be rovided on the nut 44 so that theuser of t e range may readily make the adjustment required.

The foregoing adjustment having been made, the liquid then passessuccessively through the feed line 11, the stem 19 and the orifice 21,and, acting upon the end of the plug 25, will move said plug and itsattendant disk 23 upward against the pressure exerted by the spring 48.In passing through the orifice 21, the liquid is throttled and reducedin pressure to such an extent as to transform the same into a gaseouscondition, the relation between'the orifice 21 and the plug 25 inrespect of size and shape being such as to obtain the above notedgasifica tion. The total pressure, therefore, acting upon the end of thechamber 22 and tending to extend the same a ainst the pressure of thespring 48 is that due to the pressure of the liquid against the end ofthe plug'25 and the pressure of the gas against the under surface of thedisk 23.

The gas in the chamber 22 then passes through the pasages-IS and 15 tothe preheater line 33, the ball 31 being in the position shown in Fig.3. After entering the line 33 the gas passes successively above each ofthe burners 38 and next to the manifold 35, from which it may also enterthe chamber 45. For present pur oses, it will be as sacred that thefourcoc 40 are full o en lll) so that the burners 38 may receive amaximum amount of fuel. Under the foregoing conditions, it will beobserved that the pressure which obtains in the chamber 22 issubstantially the same as that prevailing in the line 33, manifold 35and the chamber 45, but since the sprin 48 has been adjusted for amaximum flow through the orifice 21, the disk 23 will move upwardlyuntil a condition of equilibrium is reached. At such time, the plug 25will have opened the orifice 21 to .permit. the flow of that amount offuel re uired.

f now one or more of the gas cocks 40 are fully or partly closed, thesupply of fuel which had been established to meet the maxi mum demand ofthe burners 38 BXCGQdSfJthG new requirement and, therefore, the pressurein the manifold rises. This rising pressure operates upon the disk 46 tocause a downward movement of the same and. thereby moves the lug 25 toclose a sufficient amount 2 of the ori ce 21 in order to reduce the flowof fuel therethrou h and to establish a new condition of equili rium inaccordance with the chan ed requirement. Hence, a fluctuation in t edemand of the burners 38 will produce movements of the plug 25 in orderto obtain the supply of, fuel commensurate with the changingrequirements, and it will also be understood that when the demand forfuel entirely ceases, i. e., when the cooks 40 are fully closed thepressure will rise sufliciently high to efiect 'a complete closure ofthe orifice-.21 by the plug 25.

It is also to be understood that, while the fluid pressure per squareinch operating on the under surface of the disk 23 is thesame as thatacting upon the upper surface of the 'disk 46, since the interiors ofthe chambers 22 and 45 are both connected through the line 33 andthemanifold 35,. yet the total forces exerted at any instant on said diskby said pressure are not equal, due to the smaller area of the undersurface of the disk 23. Thevarious elements, includingthe spring 48 andplug 25 are so proportioned, however,

as to obtain the varying conditions of equilibrium as just described,and therefore to go Vern the supply of fuel by the demand existing inthe burners 38.

When the liquid is expanded into the chamber 22, the gas thus formed isnot in the most desirable condition for combustion,

due to the entrainment therein of raw par ticles of the liquid. It isthe purpose of the preheater line 33, therefore, to thoroughly superheatand dry this moist gas and accordingly, as has been described, said linepasses i successively over the burners 38 in order to effect suchdrying. The diameter of the line 33 and the rtion thereof disposed aboveeach of the urners 38' are of such di-- .mensions that a drying surfaceis formed which will produce an amount of dried gas sufficient for oneburner. Means are thus provided for insuring the preheating of only thatamount of gas required.

The purpose of the cotton packing in the manifold 35 is to promote andassist further vaporization of the gas when the burners 38 are firstignited. At such time, the portions eflicient combustion, a factor ofgreat im-',

portance in domestic ranges. To overcome this diflic ulty, I haveascertained that packing the manlfold as described produces highlyefiective results.

While the cottom istightly packed, the gas is of such a penetrat- 1 ingquality that the former does not offer any appreciable resistance to theflow of the gas when the preheating line is in operation.

Under certain conditions of operation, as when all burners 38 being inuse, three are suddenly extinguished, leaving the burner 50 ignited, thepressure in the line 33 would rise sharply and as said burner is closerto the chamber 22 than to the chamber 45, there might be a tendency toproduce an increased flow through the orifice 21 when acontraryCondition is required. The ball 31 prevents such a contingency andinsures that as long as the pressure --in the chambers 22 and 45, andthe manifold 35 is the same, said ball will remain in the full lineposition shown in Fig. 3, but that under the special condition notedabove, it will close the duct 28 and thereby cause the desired movementof the meterin plu 25. The check valve shown is' intend to erepresentative of any type of valve for accomplishing the same purpose.

I have therefore not only devised a method for utilizing natural gas asa fuel which disforms shown, for many changes may be made thereinwithout departing from the scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a source of fluid fuel, of means for burningsaid fuel, and a valve dis ing the ow of said fuel, said valvecomprising a casing provided with aninlet port,

(1 in the fuel line for regulatan exhaust port, an auxiliary portadapted to be connected to the fuel line on the exhaust side of saidvalve, an orifice communieatin with said inlet and exhaust ports, a

port, and a spring interposed between the closed end of said secondnamed chamber and the adjacent end'of said casing, whereby the pressurein said line b varying the lengths of said chambers etermines the extentof flow through said orifice.

2. The combination'with a source of fiuid' fuel, of means for buringsaid fuel, and a valve disposed in the fuel line for regulating the flowof said fuel, said valve comprising a casing provided with an inletport, an

exhaust port, an auxiliar port adapted to be connected to the fuel lineon the exhaust side of said valve, an orifice communicating with saidinlet and exhaust ports, a pair of abutting extensible chamberspositioned in said casing, one of said chambers communicating with saidexhaust port and having a valve plug registering with said orifice andthe other of said chambers communicating with said auxiliary port,whereby variations in the pressure in said line, operating through saidauxiliary port, changes the lengths of said chambers and governs the-fiow through said orifice,

3. The combination with a source of fluid fuel, of means for burningsaid fuel, and a valve disposed in the fuel line for regulating the flowof said-fuel, said valve comprising a casing provided with an inletport, an exhaust port, an auxiliary port adapted to be connected to thefuel lineon the exhaust side of said valve, an orifice communicatingwithsaid inlet and exhaust ports, a pair of abutting extensible chamberspositioned in said casing and spaced therefrom, one of said chamberscommunicating with said exhaust port and having avalve plug registeringwith said orifice and the other of sald chambers communicating with saidauxiliary port, whereby variations in the pressure in said line,operating through said auxiliary port, changes the lengths of saidchambers and governs the flow through said orifice.-

4. The combination with a source of fluid fuel, of means for burningsaid fuel, and

a valve disposed in the fuel line for regulating the flow of said fuel,said valve comprising a casing provided with an inlet port, an exhaust.p t, an aunliary port adapted to be connected to the fuel line on theexhaust side of said valve, an orifice communicatin with said inlet andexhaust ports, a pair of abutting extensible chambers positioned in'said casing, one of said chambers communicating with said exhaust portand having a valve plug registering with said orifice, and the other ofsaid chambers communicating with said auxiliary port, and meanspositioned adjacent said exhaust port for preventing an inadvertentadmission of a pressure higher than that obtaining in the chamberopening to said exhaust port.

5. The combination with a source of fluid fuel, of means for burningsaid fuel, and a valve disposed in the fuel line for regulating the flowof said fuel, said valve comprising a casing provided with an inletport, an exhaust port, an auxiliary port adapted to be connected to thefuel line on the exhaust side of said valve, an orifice communicatingwith said inlet and exhaust ports, a pair of abutting extensiblechambers positioned in said casing, one of said chambers communieatingwith said exhaust port and having a valve plug registering with saidorifice and the ot er of said chambers communicating with said auxiliaryport, and a check valve positioned adjacent said exhaust port forpreventing an inadvertent admission of a pressure higher than thatobtaining in the chamber opening to said exhaust port.

6. The combination with a source of fluid fuel, of means for burningsaid fuel, and a valve disposed in the fuel line for regulating the flowof said fuel, said valve comprising a casing provided with an inletport, an exhaust port, an auxiliary port adapted to be connected to thefuel line on the exhaust side of said valve, an orifice communicatingwith said inlet and exhaust ports, a pair of abutting extensiblechambers positioned in said casing, one of said chambers being 0 en tosaid exhaust port and havin a valve p ug registering with said orificean the other of said chambers being open to said auxiliary port, andmeans for adjusting the lengths of said chambers to obtain apredetermined maximum flow through said orifice.

7. The combination with a source of fluid fuel, of means for burnin saidfuel, and a valve disposed in the fuel line for regulating the flow ofsaid fuel, said valve comprising a casing provided with an inlet port,an exhaust port, an auxiliary port adapted to be connected to the fuelline on the exhaust side of said valve, an orifice communicating withsaid inlet and exhaust ports, a pair of abutting extensible chamberspositioned in said casing, one of said chambers being open to saidexhaust port and having a valve plug registerin with said orifice andthe other of said cham ers being open to said auxiliary port, andmanually o erated means for adjustmg the lengths 0 said chambers toobill-3 'a casing provided a source of fluid burning said fuel, and avalve disposed in the fuel line for regulating the flowof said fuel,said valve comprising with aninlet port,'an exhaust port, an auxiliaryport adapted to be connected to the fuel line on the exhaust side ofsaid valve, an orifice communicating with said inlet and exhaust ports,a chamber, surrounding the orifice end of said means, closed at one endand open to the exhaust port at the opposite end, the closed end of saidchamber having a valve plug registering with said orifice and thelateral surface of said chamber being formed of a plurality ofextensible folds, a second chamber similar to said first named chamberhaving the closed end thereof abutting the closed end of said firstnamed chamber and the opposite end thereof open to said auxil-' iaryport, and a spring adjustably interposed between the closed end of saidsecond named chamber and the adjacent end of said casing, whereby thepressure in said line by varying the lengths of said chambers determinesthe extent of flow through said orifice.

In testimonyV whereof, I aflix my signature.

ILLIAM C. MCKEOWN.

